This invention relates generally to solar collection systems, and, more particularly, to a low cost solar collector which incorporates therein renewable and readily available components in the construction thereof.
Solar collectors are generally constructed in a variety of designs and rely upon the absorption of the sun's energy to heat a medium located within the collector. This heated medium is utilized in conjunction with the remaining elements of a conventional solar collection or heating system to, for example, provide a heat source which does not rely upon, for its operation, a source of energy which is rapidly becoming exhausted such as oil or gas.
It is the primary function of a solar collector to absorb as much radiation as possible while, at the same time, losing as little heat as possible through the collector itself. Unfortunately, in an attempt to meet the above requirements and collect that last calorie of heat per unit area, collectors presently in use are based on expensive fabrication processes and utilize components therein which require large consumption of fossil fuels in their production.
For example, aluminum extrusions appear to have been designed and produced specifically to provide framing for the collectors; sophisticated welding and bonding techniques are used to assemble the units; and the assembly thereof is laid out and organized with mathematical precision. As a result thereof complete disregard has been given to the basic reasons for the development of solar collectors, that is, the conservation of our natural resources. Aluminum itself is produced by an energy-intensive process; extrusions require heavy machinery and dedicated dies; welding is energy-consumptive; and the use of skilled labor in an application where it is not needed can also be considered wasteful. These considerations are not essential for recovery of useful levels of thermal energy from the Sun, and dedication of closely resources to their production is counter-productive to the driving objective of energy conservation.
As clearly stated hereinabove, solar collectors now in production not only rely mainly upon high energy consumption manufactured products but also as a consequence thereof are extremely expensive. It is therefore clearly obvious for the seemingly slow adoption of solar heat systems or solar augmentation systems by individual homeowners.